Jake Aikman works intuitively with scale, focus and repetition to produce paintings that capture the mystery and ambiguity of an isolated moment. Natural phenomena, from vast seascapes to remote coastlines and dense forests typify Aikman’s practice, where a calm surface alludes to an unknown that lies beneath.

Aikman obtained his MFA from the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town in 2008. In 2017 Aikman presented his sixth solo exhibition, Haunt, at SMAC in Johannesburg and participated in the ArtUnitedUs mural project in Kiev. Notable solo exhibitions include Confini Velati/Veiled Boundaries, Rome (2014), following a residency in Trevignano Romano, Italy, which was facilitated by the Centro Luigi Di Sarro. Previously, Aikman exhibited in L’Anima Del Acqua: The Spirit of Water, presented as part of the 53rd edition of La Biennale di Venezia (2009) and in 2011 he was an invited artist for the 4th Beijing International Art Biennale (2011).